Believe In Your Heart
by EPotterME
Summary: Sequel to I Hate You But I Love You. Just when Hermione Granger's and Draco Malfoy's separate lives are going steadily, they meet again. Nearly four years after Draco left for post-Hogwarts schooling, Hermione finds herself raising their twins.
1. Chapter 1 We Meet Again

The cool winter breeze howled at the windows, snapping twenty-two year old Hermione Granger away from her work. She glanced at the clock on the wall and realized she should have left fifteen minutes ago. She quickly locked away all of her writings and office room, threw on a coat, and ran out of her office, down the snow covered streets of Diagon Alley.

She pushed the door of a small building open. It was a wizard child daycare center where Hermione could drop off her almost three-year-old daughter and son, when she didn't spend the day at the burrow, with Ginny, or with Hermione's parents. The elderly woman at the front desk smiled at Hermione as she entered.

"Sorry I'm late! I got caught up in my writing and didn't realize how much time had gone by." Hermione apologized.

"It's perfectly alright; Emily's & Tristan had been playing quietly in the corner." The woman said, pointing to the corner opposite them where a small girl and boy with very light blonde hair stood up and made her way to their mother, grinning widely.

"Did you have fun today?" Hermione asked, pulling her daughter's coat and other belongings off of the wooden pegs on the wall.

Tristan & Emily Granger nodded as her arms went through the sleeves of her orange Chudley Cannon's jacket.

"Mr. Malfoy played exploding snap with us!" She exclaimed and Hermione stopped trying to put mittens on her twin's tiny hands.

"Who?" She wasn't sure if she heard the name right.

"Mr. Malfoy." A male voice repeated behind Hermione, causing her heart to race. "I'm—"

Hermione turned around to see who had spoken. Her breathing became more rapid and her heart seemed to ache as she saw an all too familiar face.

"…new here." He finished in a much quieter voice than how he first started. "Hi."

"Hi." Hermione whispered, and saw him looking at Emily and Tristan, slightly confused.

"Is she a friend of yours' daughter and son?" Draco asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"No, she's mine." Hermione replied and turned back around to help twin's put their other mitten on. She didn't know what to say. It had been more than three years since she last saw or heard from the man standing next to her. She had finally pushed him out of her life after he had left her to attend a special school of potions for several years. As much as he had hurt her, she had probably caused him pain too.

"If you don't mind me asking, who's their father?" He asked cautiously, eyeing her Chudley Cannon's jacket, "It's not Weasley is it?"

"No, they're just a big fan of her uncle's team." Hermione commented, catching the smallest bit of jealousy in his voice.

"Uncle? Does that mean—?"

"Emily & Tristan aren't a Weasley." She said before he could finish. Draco looked relieved. "Ron's just as close as an uncle, as are Ginny and Harry."

"Oh." He said and Hermione could tell he wanted to know more.

"Their father and I aren't together anymore." She informed him, and as her daughter and son stood next to Draco she was able to see how similar they all looked. The only difference besides the fact that one was a twenty-one year old man and the other was an almost three-year old girl was that Emily had Hermione's vivid brown eyes while three-year old boy Tristan had Draco's gray eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear that." It was incredible that he could not see how alike he and the twins looked.

"You didn't do anything. It wasn't your fault…" Hermione answered and although he didn't know, she was speaking truthfully. Draco never did anything. It was her that decided to leave him without telling him of their children.

The door to the place opened, sending an icy breeze into the room, and a young woman around the same age as Hermione stepped inside. She was average height with shoulder length, straight black hair and contrasting bright blue eyes.

Draco looked up from Emily & Tristan to see who had entered and suddenly became more nervous.

"You're here early." He said to the woman as she joined the group.

"Nothing special was happening at work so my boss let me leave." She replied, giving Draco a quick hug which he uncomfortably returned. Hermione felt jealousy rise in her body and looked around the room in awkward silence.

"Hermione, this is Natalie Hunter." Draco introduced the woman next to him. Hermione was relieved that he hadn't said Natalie Malfoy. "And Natalie, this is my err… friend from school, Hermione Granger, and her kids, Emily & Tristan."

"Nice to meet you." Hermione shook her hand and tried to smile politely. She noticed there were no rings on her fingers which was another good sign.

"Your name sounds so familiar but I don't think Draco's ever spoken about you," Natalie paused, trying to remember, both Draco and Hermione hoping she wouldn't, "When I first met him, all he talked about was this girl he had dated and how much he missed her and how wonderful she was even though they weren't together anymore. What was her name?"

"Lavender Brown." Draco lied quickly, catching Hermione's eye.

"Oh yes, I remember her. You and her split up after school then?" Hermione played along, amazed that Draco would talk about her so nicely even though she ended the relationship.

"Well, he rarely spoke about anything besides Lavender and he kept telling me he wasn't ready for another relationship yet. He was too busy hoping that Lavender would write to him again or he would hear from her in some form but it never happened. We only started dating around four months ago."

Hermione wondered why she was telling her all of this. "I should probably get going. I'm supposed to be at the Weasleys' for dinner." She made sure Tristan & Emily hadn't taken her hat and mittens off like she sometimes did. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too. Maybe we'll meet again." Natalie smiled and waved goodbye to Tristan & Emily.

"Bye, Draco." Hermione said and noticed he was still studying the twins, trying to figure out who the Father could be.

"Is Tristan & Emily here most weekdays?" He asked quickly, hoping to see Hermione again soon so they could talk more.

"Yes, unless they're with my parents, Ginny, or Mrs. Weasley." Hermione took Tristan's & Emily's small hand on both side of her.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow I guess." Draco said and Hermione nodded. He watched as they left the building and headed down the streets of Diagon Alley then returned to Natalie.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Ginny asked curiously after opening the door to the Burrow to find Hermione anxiously waiting with Emily.

"I have some news!" Hermione exclaimed entering with her son & daughter.

"Hi, Aunt Ginny!" Emily squealed, wrapping her arms tightly around the redhead's legs.

"Hey, Aunt Ginny!" Tristan squealed after his twin sister Emily.

"I think there are some cookies in the kitchen with mum and Uncle Harry. Go see if you can have some while I talk with your mum." Ginny suggested, causing Emily's eyes to light up as she made her way into the kitchen along with Tristan.

"So, guess who I saw today." Hermione grinned, sitting on the couch next to Ginny who was six months pregnant with triplets.

"Did you really?!" Ginny practically shouted in surprise, knowing automatically that she was talking about Draco, "Where? When? Did you talk? Did he see you too? What about Tristan & Emily?" The list of questions running through her head could have filled ten rolls of parchment.

"Well, I was getting the twins from that daycare place and it turns out that he's working there—"

"He left you for three years to work at a daycare center?" She asked in disbelief.

"Maybe… Maybe he couldn't find an open position for potions teacher anywhere," Hermione hoped that was the answer, "It was very awkward speaking with him and it was even worse when his girlfriend showed up."

"His girlfriend?"

"Natalie Hunter," Hermione stated the name, "They've only been dating for four months though."

"Do you hate her yet?" Ginny asked, spotting a flicker of jealousy in her friend's eyes.

Hermione considered the question, "No, she seems too nice to hate. She said how Draco would talk about me all the time, even after I sent that last letter, but she didn't know I was who he told her about. Draco pretended it was Lavender."

"If he wouldn't shut up about you, maybe it took him a long time to get over you. Maybe, deep down, he still hasn't gotten over you," She said, and Hermione could tell she was trying to think of how Hermione could get him back, "You still love him, don't you?"

"Yes, but I'd feel terrible if he left Natalie for me. It would be so much easier to do if she was a snotty, stuck-up type of girl." Hermione now looked somewhat miserable.

"What if I go with you tomorrow to pick up Tristan & Emily so that you two can talk for a while?"

"I guess we could try that, as long as Natalie doesn't show up again."

"If she does, I'll distract her." Ginny laughed and Hermione felt like she was back at Hogwarts, once again asking for advice from her friend.


	2. Chapter 2 Changes

The following day, Hermione dropped the twins off at the daycare center as she usually did in the morning, and went to work at the Daily Prophet. She was a great writer and her articles were often published in the wizard newspaper. Ginny had planned to meet her in the lobby of the office building and together they would pick up Tristan & Emily.

Each hour passed so slowly that Hermione thought she might be going back in time instead of forward. Finally, after writing several long articles, the clock on the wall said she could leave. Wasting no time, she found Ginny reading a magazine on a wooden bench near the front door.

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked her, catching her attention.

"I'm taking the twins to my house, right?" Ginny responded, grabbing her bag and joining Hermione.

"Yeah, and I'll meet you there when I'm finished talking. I hope it goes alright; I'm not sure if I should tell him yet." She said as the debate went on inside her mind.

"If he doesn't figure it out soon then you'll have to tell him eventually. He'll probably be less upset if you tell him before he realizes he has a son & daughter."

"I guess you're right." Hermione sighed and looked up, noticing that they were already at the center.

The once empty room was now crowded with parents dressing their young children in several layers to prepare them for the cold outside. Hermione's eyes immediately spotted Draco light hair. She had become accustomed to searching for it every time she went somewhere. It had become a habit ever since his three years at school were over and she knew she might see him again.

Draco was casually leaning against the far wall, making sure each child went home with the correct parent instead of a stranger. Before approaching him, however, Hermione found her own child who was patiently holding her coat and mittens.

"Mum!" Emily & Tristan exclaimed, smiling brightly and attempting to run to their mother and aunt.

"Are you ready to go back to my house?" Ginny asked, helping Hermione dress the twins.

"Is mum coming, too?" The little girl questioned curiously. Tristan didn't noticed to ask.

"I'll meet you there Emily, I'm just going to—"

"Hermione?" A voice interrupted, turning out to be Draco, "If you're not busy, do you want to go for a walk with me? We can catch up on some things."

"Ginny, are you alright with bringing Tristan & Emily to your house?" Hermione asked as if she hadn't been planning on talking to Draco in the first place.

"Yeah, it's no problem." Ginny added and Draco smirked.

"I would have bet all the money in Gringotts that you were going to marry Potter." He stared at her, "I never would have guessed you would marry an elephant."

"Shove it, Malfoy." She said through gritted teeth, looking down at her large, pregnant figure. "I'm eight months pregnant with triplets."

"Triplets? I give you my congratulations." Draco said in his familiar tone of voice. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Thanks. Hermione, I'm leaving before he can think of something else to insult me with." Ginny took Emily's hand.

"I'll see you soon." Hermione waved goodbye to both of them as they exited. She turned back to Draco.

"We didn't have much time to talk yesterday. You're sure I'm not insult with any plans you had?" Draco asked awkwardly.

They walked out the back door of the daycare center to a back road of Diagon Alley.

"No, it's fine, don't worry." Hermione shook her head. She felt like she was walking to her doom

"How have you been for the past few years?"

"It was tough being alone with Tristan & Emily, but I've managed and things are finally going the way they should be." Hermione told him as they slowly wandered together. "Why are you working here anyway?"

Draco laughed, making the tension lessen between them. "I'm just here to have some experience with kids, even if they can barely speak. Come September though, I'll be teaching potions at Hogwarts."

"Is Snape leaving?" Hermione was surprised. He had only been there for about 20 years unlike McGonagall who seemed as if she would teach until she died.

"Dumbledore wouldn't tell me why, but it's true. Snape is leaving. With all that hard work for three years, I think I would cry if I ended up working at a daycare center for the rest of my life."

"How was school, by the way?"

"It was difficult to adjust to the amount of work with hardly any free time. I almost decided to leave after—"He cut the sentence short, biting his lip, "Never mind,"

"After what?"

"After you sent that last letter," He quietly spoke, looking at his feet. Uncomfortable silence fell and Hermione wished she could apparatus right there, but it would have been rude. "What was the real reason?"

"I don't kn—"

"Tristan's & Emily's almost three right? The first day of March is in three weeks. Nine months before March is… June." Draco calculated out loud, his eyes scanning the dull sky as if it were a calendar.

Hermione felt her heart drop. She knew he was clever but didn't think he would figure it out that fast.

"I should have told you, I know." Hermione said timidly and slightly ashamed.

"How could you do this to me? I wasn't even away for a month and you go off with some other guy and have his their kids?" Draco stopped suddenly, hurt and confused while his eyes flashed with fury.

"No, there was never another guy! I haven't been with anyone else since you!" Hermione cried, glad they were on an empty street as tears brewed under her eyelashes. The only time she ever seemed to cry was when Draco was involved.

"Then how do you explain Tristan & Emily? What about that ring? I don't think you would spend that much money on yourself, it's not something you would do." He spotted a gold band on her finger with a small ruby glimmering within it. Hermione slipped the ring off and allowed Draco to take a closer look.

"I didn't buy this ring and neither did some other guy!" She choked through the stream of tears. She chucked the ring at Draco who picked it carefully off the cold ground where it lay.

'Remember me' He read the inscription of the ring in a barely audible whisper.

"I wasn't lying to you. I've never been with anyone else and I've never gone anywhere without that ring." Hermione said, calming down a little, but worrying about his soon to come reaction.

Draco slowly looked at her, thoughts racing through his head and suddenly he seemed to understand. His eyes widened in shock as if he had been thrown into ice cold water. He cautiously made his way to a nearby bench and sat with his head in his hands for several long moments. Hermione didn't dare to move toward him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Draco questioned, lifting his head to meet her eyes.

"I…I didn't want you to come back and leave school for me. You'd be throwing away what you really wanted to do." Hermione replied cautiously. "I was planning on telling you today though. That's why Ginny came to bring the twins home."

"I could have figured something out if you had told me! We could have found a place near the school or something. I would have made it work out alright!" He said trying not to explode his angry and frustration with Hermione hiding the fact that he has a son and daughter.

"Ten minutes ago you said that you had hardly any free time. You would have been up all night doing work and every time you'd fall asleep, Tristan & Emily would wake you up. I wasn't going to give you anything else to worry about while you were at school." She explained, trying to show him her reasoning.

"Maybe if you had begged me not to come home and help you then it would have worked fine and we would still be together, but we'll never know because four years have passed. People change."

"Not everything's changed…" Hermione sighed, "I'm still in love with you." Draco flinched, not wanting to hear her say that, "I've been wondering when we would meet again, trying to think of what I would say and I always thought we'd still be the same people we were when you left. I never thought it would be like this."

"You can't expect me to come waltzing back into your arms after you ended the relationship! There were times when I just wanted to give up, knowing that you weren't mine anymore. It took me three years to get over the pain you caused me and you still cross my mind constantly."

Hermione couldn't believe what he was telling her. "The pain I caused you? Did you think for even a second how much I was going through when you left? I probably cried myself to sleep every night for the first few months. I was miserable and finding out that I was having your children didn't help much!"

"We didn't have to split up though!" Draco was back on his feet, pacing in frustration.

"Would you have preferred me lying to you for three years instead of just hiding it then?" Hermione retorted.

"I can't believe you! At least when I came home three years later we could have still been together!" He ran his fingers through his hair. Hermione took a few steps away.

"And you wouldn't have been angry with me for keeping it a secret?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Not nearly as mad as I am now!" Draco nearly yelled. "You can take the bloody ring back." He spat and dropped her ring on the dirt covered street.

Hermione sniffed, bending over to pick it up.

"I have to go." Draco said as her fingers clasped around the ring. Before Hermione could say anything else, he had appeared away with a loud crack.


	3. Chapter 3 Trouble with Women

"Sorry I'm back late," Draco called, appearing suddenly in his own house, "There was a meeting at work and I couldn't skip it," he lied.

Natalie put down the book she was reading and stood up to greet him. "It's fine. Are you feeling okay? You look a little out of it."

"I guess I'm just tired." Draco informed her, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. They sat down on a couch in front of the large fireplace. Once Draco had left school, he had sold the Malfoy manor and had the Ministry destroy the dark arts items that his parents had owned. He wanted nothing to do with them so he bought his own mansion-like house just outside of Hogsmeade. He figured that if he received the job of teaching potions at Hogwarts, he would be nearby.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Draco snapped after a few seconds of awkward silence in which Natalie studied his behavior.

"Something's bothering you, I can tell." She looked away nervously.

"Nothing's wrong. I said I was only tired." He replied in frustration.

Natalie couldn't accept that as an answer. She didn't believe him and he knew it was a lie. "Why can't you tell me?"

"Because there's nothing to tell!" Draco nearly yelled, standing up. Natalie reached for his hand to pull him back but he yanked it out of her grip.

"Where are you going?" She questioned as Draco grabbed his coat off the hanger.

"Out, I'm supposed to meet Blaise later but you won't leave me alone so I'm leaving early." He said from the doorway.

"How late are you going to be there?" Natalie asked, not trying to stop him. He wouldn't listen anyway.  
"If I'm not back by late tonight then some time tomorrow." Draco said quickly and closed the door behind him.

Draco walked several streets in the freezing air until he reached the main street at Hogsmeade. Blaise Zabini was to meet him at the Three Broomsticks in a few hours but Draco newly acquired knowledge of having a son and daughter was causing him to freak out. He couldn't tell Natalie and felt sorry for lying to her but the news had come so sudden that he didn't have time to form a plan yet.

The pub was pretty empty except for a few witches and wizards celebrating something and some others sitting alone at the tables. Draco chose his own booth toward the back and ordered a large fire whisky. He needed to get his mind off of Hermione and the twins, this was the best solution he could think of.

An hour or two passed, as did the number of drinks Draco had consumed and pretty soon he had passed out on the table. Blaise Zabini arrived at the correct time that they had planned to meet and found his good friend surrounded by a decent amount of empty fire whiskies. He shook Draco a few times before he opened his eyes and picked his head up.

"Blaise!" Draco smiled groggily, "Good day!"

"Draco!" Blaise imitated his enthusiasm, "You're completely wasted!"

"Am I? Well isn't that splendid." Draco stood up with his arms wide open. He attempted to wrap them around Blaise but instead they grasped at the air and he stumbled forward.

"You were supposed to wait until I got here and then we were going to get drunk." Blaise mumbled, knowing that Draco wasn't really listening, for he was trying to stand up from the ground.

"Hermione's back, Blaise! Hermione Granger!"

"Is she now?" He figured Draco was making stories up.

"Yes! And you know what?" Draco began laughing, "She had my babies!"

"Okay… I think its time we leave and you can stay at my place tonight." Blaise responsibly took Draco by the arm as if he were a little kid and led him onto the street.

"But I don't want to go! It's cold!"

"We'll be inside soon enough." Blaise said and held tightly onto Draco as he appeared them away to his own apartment. "You can sleep on the couch, like usual."

Draco staggered up to the large couch and fell, sprawled across the cushions. In an instant he was sound asleep. Blaise shrugged, threw one of his blankets over him, and locked the doors so Draco wouldn't try anything stupid.

It felt as if Draco had been hit in the head with a bludger when he woke up the following morning. He opened his eyes, realizing he wasn't in his own bed, but immediately shut them once the bright sunlight hit them.

He tried again after a few minutes and concluded at once that he was in Blaise apartment. He sat up on the couch and pulled the blanket off. Noticing that he was still in his clothes from the previous day, Draco figured that he has passed out after going to the Three Broomsticks.

"Good morning!" Blaise voice called from the doorway.

"What time is it?" Draco ran his fingers through his hair, trying to straighten it out.

"Almost noon, you were so drunk last night."

"Ugh I hope Natalie isn't too worried or upset." Draco got up to leave.

"Speaking of girlfriends," Blaise started, causing Draco to freeze and remember everything that had happened with Hermione yesterday, "You mentioned something about Granger and how she had your children. You haven't mentioned her in your drunken rambles since you started dating Natalie."

"Did I?" Draco asked nervously.

"Yeah, it was so random too," Blaise added, "It was as Oh god! Please tell me you were making it up!"

Draco shook his head, staring at the floor. "She was picking her kids up from the daycare center and the next day we went for a walk afterward and she told me."

"When did you manage to knock her up?"

"Last day of Hogwarts I guess." Draco looked slightly ashamed.

"And it's a son and daughter?"

"Yea, their name is Tristan who kind of looks like me with my eyes and Emily and she looks just like me except with brown eyes," Draco stated, "Don't mention this to anyone. I don't want Natalie finding out until I'm ready to tell her."

"So are you going to do anything? Help Granger? Break up with Natalie? Or just leave it the way it is?" Blaise wondered, trying to figure something out.

"I don't know yet. I only found out yesterday, hence the million fire whiskies." Draco smirked slightly; he wondered how many he drank in total.

"Do you have any feelings for her still?" Blaise asked the big question. Draco thought for a moment.

"I… I don't know." He admitted, thinking back to his final year at Hogwarts, "It's all happening so fast. One day she's back in my life and the next day I find out I have a two, almost three year old son and daughter. I'm not sure what I should do, let alone what I want to do."

"Why don't you talk to her about it?"

"She most likely doesn't want to see me," Draco recalled their fight on the streets of Diagon Alley.  
"She tried explaining why she never told me and I was a jerk to her. Natalie's probably angry with me too for storming out on her last night."

"You can live here then." Blaise suggested, looking around the small room.

"Really?!"

"No," Blaise shot his hopes down. Draco groaned. He didn't want to see any more women. They caused too much trouble.

"I should go now and start fixing things with Natalie at least." Draco checked a mirror on the wall. He looked fine except for the circles under his grey eyes.

"Don't do anything too bad." Blaise advised as if he were Draco mother.

"Thanks, I'll try not to," He replied sarcastically, "I guess I'll see you again soon."

Blaise gave a slight wave good-bye and closed the door after Draco.


	4. Chapter 4 Avoiding

"Look who finally decided to come home." Natalie's voice drawled from the kitchen after hearing the front door click open.

"I passed out at Blaise and thought it would be best to not attempt to find my way home." Draco said upon entering the room.

"Did you have fun?" She asked in a sarcastic manner.

"No, because I was too busy feeling sorry for how I treated you;" Draco smiled innocently, moving closer to the black haired witch, "Is that punishment enough?"

She moved in to kiss him and right before their lips touched, she pulled away. "I think I'll let you suffer in your guilt for a while longer." Natalie faked an evil laugh before exiting the room, leaving Draco to sulk on his own.

Hermione had told Ginny what happened with Draco as soon as she arrived. Ginny offered to take care of the twins for the next few weeks so that Hermione wouldn't have to see Draco at the daycare center.

Hermione said it would be too much for the pregnant Ginny and that she would bring Tristan & Emily to work. She could have one of her coworkers bring them seeing as she had a son who usually went to the same place.

The coworker was a few years older than Hermione and had been a seventh year Ravenclaw at Hogwarts while Hermione was in her third year. Neither of them had remembered each other but they had formed a sort of friendship through writing for the Daily Prophet. Her name was Lauren and she often was the one to remind Hermione that it was time to pick Tristan & Emily up.

"Has he asked where I've been?" Hermione questioned Lauren one afternoon at work.  
"No, I think he's trying to stay away from the twins in case you come to pick her up. He can tell that you're avoiding him," Lauren said, putting her quill down momentarily to brush her short brown hair out of her eyes.

"Thank you so much for doing this. I'll pick your son up for you if you need me, but only when I'm ready to face Draco again." Hermione hoped Lauren could understand her situation.

"It's no problem," She kindly smiled, "You should see how disappointed Draco looks every time I walk out with Tristan & Emily."

"Maybe next week I'll start going again. Perhaps he'll have some form of apology by then." Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at her hand. Her fingers seemed much emptier when she wasn't wearing his ring.

"I'll go with you the first day so you have an excuse to leave if he bothers you," Lauren laughed, "I should probably start leaving to pick the kids up now, actually."

"I'll be waiting in the entrance like usual then." Hermione waved good bye and returned to her work.

She'd avoided Draco for over a week and his words were still clawing at her heart. She should have expected this would happen when she told him but just seeing him for the first time in four years filled her with anxiety.

Looking out the icy glass window, Hermione noticed snow had started to fall to the streets below. She used her wand to lock away her writings and traveled down several flights of stairs to where she was meeting her twins and Lauren.

The little blonde girl and a little blonde boy appeared minutes later through the building's glass doors. She was closely followed by Lauren and her son, Tyler.

"Mummy!" Emily exclaimed, nearly tripping over her feet as she tried running toward Hermione, "Snow! Snow!"

"Yes, it's snowing outside," Hermione smiled, picking the excited Emily up, "Do you want to play in it when we get home?" Emily nodded enthusiastically and placed a wet kiss on her mother's cheek. Tristan was next to kiss his mother cheek.

"I'll see you three tomorrow!" Lauren called as they parted on their way out the door.

"Thanks again!" Hermione responded and appeared away with Emily in her arms while Tristan holding her hand.

They popped out of thin air into an all wizard neighborhood outside of London. Hermione had bought a small house recently and Emily loved sleigh riding down the hill in the backyard. She made sure the twins had enough layers on before pulling out a small plastic sled and taking her son and daughter to the back of the house.

"How are things going at daycare?" Hermione questioned, pulling the sled back to the top of the miniature hill.

"Good," Emily blatantly stated, picking up snow with her orange mittens. The matched her Chudley Cannons jacket and scarf knitted by Mrs. Weasley, "Mr. Malfoy wants to know where you are." Tristan said to his mother.

"Did he really? What else did he tell you?" Hermione was now listening very intently. Tristan shrugged his small shoulders, "Nothing?"

"Nope," Emily answered before taking a bite out of the snow in her hand.

"No, don't eat that! It might be dirty!" Hermione laughed, watching Emily spit the snow out.

She made a noise of disgust, "Its cold!" Emily said, wrinkling her nose.

"Are you going to eat it again, then?"

"No," She sadly replied, wiping her mouth with the back of her glove.

"It's getting late out," Hermione noted the dark purple color of the sky, "Let's all go inside and I'll make some hot chocolate!"

"Mmm," the twin's eyes lit up and she immediately ran to get inside the house.  
Hermione placed the sled on the back steps and ran after her giggling children.

Draco paced the back room of the daycare place. He needed to see Hermione and make sure she was alright. He needed to speak to her and apologize about how he reacted the other day. He had thought it over and wrote down what he would have done if Hermione had told him she was pregnant while he was still at school versus telling him four years later. He realized she was right; he would have come straight back without thinking and he would have lost his chance for the job he most wanted.

Blaise question of whether he still had feelings for Hermione kept running through his head. He loved Natalie, or at least he thought he did, but he also knew that Hermione would always have a place in his heart. Plus, the addition of Tristan & Emily into the matter didn't help much.

He had asked Tristan more than once where Hermione was and why she didn't come to the center anymore. Tristan, being so young, had no idea, which Draco concluded was an honest answer. He could tell that Hermione was avoiding him but he had to find a way to speak with her. Putting his apology into a letter wasn't as easy as it sounded, for he had tried several times to do so. Each time however, he ended up setting fire to the parchment and startling his owl.

Today, Draco concluded, he would ask Hermione's friend where she was and when she might be back again. The time arrived when more than a dozen parents came to pick up their children and Draco spotted the brown-haired witch that would take the twins home.

"Excuse me?" He said, approaching the woman, "I work here, my name's Draco Malfoy."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lauren Benson." Lauren smiled politely, pretending she had no idea who Draco was.

"I'm a friend of Hermione's. Do you know where she's been lately or where she is now? I wanted to speak with her," Draco nervously asked, watching Tristan & Emily run off to say good bye to a friend.

"Actually, she sent me an owl earlier this afternoon saying she would be missing work. She said she was at St. Mungo and I'm supposed to bring Tristan & Emily to her Grandparents' home," Lauren admitted willingly. She didn't think Hermione wanted her to tell him, but she thought it might do them some good to talk to each other.

"St. Mungo? Is she okay?" Draco asked urgently.

"I don't know, that's all it said," Lauren took Tyler's and Emily's hands while Tristan's stayed besides his sister, "We should leave, or I'll be late for a meeting. I'll tell Hermione you wanted to see her."

"Thanks, bye." Draco said and as soon as they were gone, he appeared to the wizard hospital so make sure Hermione was alright.


	5. Chapter 5 St Mungo

Draco approached the woman at the front desk of St. Mungo Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

"How may I help you?" She asked in a bored tone of voice, checking something on her fingernail.

"What room is Hermione Granger in?" Draco quickly asked, nervously looking around.

"Are you a relative?"

"Yes," He lied without hesitation.

"One second," The woman said and began pulling out files. She grabbed a wand from the desk and muttered a spell, pointing at the files.

"Granger you said?" She asked, making sure she had heard properly.

"Yes, Hermione Granger. Is there a problem?" Draco was losing his patience.

"There doesn't seem to be a Hermione Granger here. Maybe you're at the wrong hospital dear," The woman suggested, looking at Draco over the rim of her glasses.

"I'm positive it was St. Mungo. Could you check again?" Draco fidgeted anxiously with the hem of his coat.

"I already tried twice. I'm sorry but I think there's been a mistake."

"I know she was here!" Draco insisted, "Did she happen to leave? Was she only here for a short while?"

"I'll see for you. Hold on again."

As the woman pulled out more folders filled with records and searched through again with her wand, Draco began pacing around the waiting room. He ended up in a cold metal chair by the doorway as the witch tried what seemed like every file ever kept.

"I'm sorry sir, but the only records of Hermione Granger are from several years ago," The woman finally announced, sounding honestly sorry for him.

"That's alright. Thanks for helping though," Draco smiled politely, standing up. The witch nodded and turned back to her fingernails.

Draco took one final glance around the empty room, hoping for a miracle that the woman forgot to check a file and would suddenly remember. He reached for the door but found that it was already being pushed open from the other side.

"What are you doing here?" The voice of Ron Weasley. He looked half bewildered and half like he had the urge to hit Draco with every curse he knew.

"What are you doing here?" Draco sneered back, stepping aside.

"I'm here to see my sister. You didn't come to bother Hermione, did you?" Ron eyed him suspiciously.

"So Hermione is here?" Draco angrily looked over at the woman at the desk.

"Well I would hope she's here." Ron said, striding across the room.

"Why on earth would you hope that?" Draco followed.

"I don't know? Because she's Ginny's best friend?" Ron guessed sarcastically, "How could she miss the birth of her best friend's first kids?"

"What?" Draco exclaimed, extremely confused, "You mean, Hermione's just visiting?"

"Yes, why?"

"One of my friends told me she was in St. Mungo and didn't know why. I've been on edge ever since, hoping that she was alright." Draco explained, still following Ron.

"Oh so for once you decided to put Hermione before yourself?" Ron stopped, his ears reddening with anger.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Everything revolves around you and needs your approval. You never seem to care how she might feel." Ron said loudly, causing several healers to stick there heads into the hallway.

"Give me an example." Draco snapped, trying to figure out what he meant.

"Here's an easy one: You got mad at Hermione for not telling you about Tristan & Emily, even if she was doing it for your own good." Ron stated, in a quieter voice as they continued to travel up several floors. Draco was now the one to stop climbing the tight staircase. He stared guiltily at the opposite wall.

"You're right." Draco sighed in defeat.

"I know I am sure Hermione doesn't want to see you. Go home." Ron said as if Draco were a stray dog.

"No, I need to talk to her. I wanted to apologize." He said. Ron looked taken aback.

"Whoa! Are you feeling alright? Maybe you should check in with some of the healers. This is the second time today that you're doing something for Hermione!"

"Shut it, Weasley." Draco sneered.

"She's probably waiting with the rest of my family. If she doesn't want to talk, you better not force her to." Ron warned, opening a door to another waiting room.

Draco saw a sea of flaming red hair as he stepped inside after Ron. There faces were all quite distressed and once they noticed who had entered, they frowned coldly at Draco as if he had just insulted their family name. He didn't dare sit with them, but leaned against a wall, waiting for Hermione.

Ron told his family something in a low voice, probably about how Draco wanted to speak with Hermione, causing them to drop their cold glares.

"She just went through there to get something to drink." One of the Weasley twins called to Draco from where he sat. He pointed at the door near Draco.

"Thanks," Draco nodded before stepping through it.

He walked the white hallway to another door at the end. Peering inside, Draco found Hermione drinking tea from a steaming mug. Hearing the sound of his footsteps, she looked up.

The smile that had momentarily been across her face faded and she looked away.

"Are you stalking me or something?" She asked, continuing to drink her tea.

"No, the witch who took Tristan & Emily said that you were here and she didn't know why. I— I was worried," Draco admitted, hoping she would believe him. Hermione looked up briefly but didn't say anything.

"I know you've been avoiding me, but I wanted to talk to you. I've thought things over." Draco continued awkwardly. It would have been much easier if Hermione was speaking to him.

"Have you?" Hermione questioned with a harsh tone. She placed the mug down and began to walk away.

"Hermione— Wait!" Draco quickly took hold of her arm and pulled her around.

"Let go of me!" She exclaimed, trying to break free from his grip.

"Not until you listen to me!" Draco said and she slowly gave up struggling.  
"What do you have to say?" Hermione asked, becoming impatient.

"I'm sorry for how I acted that day. I'm sorry for what I said and I'm sorry for flipping out on you!" Draco started, loosening his hold on Hermione's thin wrist, "I just needed time to think about what happened. My thoughts were already screwed up from seeing you the previous day and then finding out that I had a son and daughter didn't help much. You were right." He said for the second time that day.

"About what?" Hermione was listening intently to his words, but not looking at him.

"You were right in not telling me about Tristan & Emily, I probably would have come straight back to help you. We can figure out a plan later on how I can help with them and such, but I just needed to see you so I could tell you all of this." Draco finished, dropping Hermione's arm, half expecting her to run off without saying anything.

"That sounds… fine," Hermione nervously looked up and said "I should go back and see how Ginny's doing."

"Do you forgive me then?" Draco asked, slightly confused.

Hermione hesitated and then let out a sigh, "Yes," She said with some reluctance and started toward the waiting room.

"Hermione?" Draco began quickly, "Would you like to go out for dinner tomorrow night? We can catch up on some things."

"I don't know…"

"Please? It would only be as friends and I want to hear more about Tristan & Emily." Draco pleaded. Hermione's insides dropped. She didn't want to be 'friends' with Draco. She wanted to be back in his arms, the way things used to be.

"Sure." Hermione finally said.

"Meet me in Hogsmeade, outside of the Three Broomsticks around seven o'clock. And no, we're not going to the Three Broomsticks." Draco informed her, feeling much better than he had an hour ago.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." Hermione smiled slightly.

"Tell Potter and Weasley I say congratulations." He said very unenthusiastically and they went their separate ways.


	6. Chapter 6 Questions and Answers

Hermione waited several more hours in the St. Mungo waiting room for news from the healers. Ron had asked her what happened with Draco and told her what he said to Draco on the way there. Hermione thanked Ron for sticking up for her just as a healer entered the room with good news. Ginny had given birth to three healthy wizard boys.

The Weasley's and Hermione were allowed to visit in small groups. Hermione entered, accompanied by Ron and Charlie. Ginny looked exhausted and Hermione felt that now wasn't the time to tell her of her plans with Draco for the following evening.

Harry sat in a chair at the side of Ginny's bed holding a bundle of blankets that contained the triplets they had named James who seemed to have familiar flaming red hair. Ginny was therefore holding, Sirius whose head was covered in fuzzy black hair much like Harry's and in her other hand, she was holding, Max who hair was mixed between red and black hair.

After a few minutes of admiring the three newborns, a healer came bustling in, telling them it was time to give Ginny some rest. They said their goodbyes and left the room.

"Hermione," Ron called, pulling her to the side, away from his nosey brothers.

"Yes?"

"Promise me you'll be careful tomorrow night," Ron said in a worried, brotherly tone.

"He won't try anything… He has a girlfriend remember?" Hermione said which the painful truth was.

"Oh, right," Ron gave her an apologetic look and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, "I just don't want him to hurt you anymore," He whispered in her ear before slowly letting go.

"Thanks," She stepped away, not knowing whether it was a friendly hug or if there was something hidden in it, "I better pick up Tristan & Emily. They're at my parent's home and I hope they isn't tiring them out."

"Alright," Ron agreed, checking over his shoulder to make sure his brothers were still a safe distance away from the conversation, "If anything happens, you can just disparate home. Please be safe."

"Stop worrying. I'm not as stupid as Crabbe and Goyle," Hermione laughed and gave a quick wave before heading out the door.

She arrived home with Tristan & Emily about an hour later and saw the clock on the wall. Ten o'clock, the twins had never been up this late before. Hermione sat her children down on their small bed and began changing her into her pajamas. Before she could say good night, the twins had already fallen asleep, leaving Hermione to think about how her dinner with Draco the following night.

Would they get into another fight? What would he want to know about Tristan & Emily? He'd probably want to know how Hermione managed as a single mother at first. What could Hermione ask him? All she knew was that it would probably be very awkward and she kind of hoped she could bring a friend to fill the silent gaps the conversation would have.

The following day went extremely fast. Hermione hated how the things she dreaded always arrived faster than the more exciting things in life.

She had dropped the twins back at her parents' house who suggested that she stay for the night this time. Hermione hadn't told them who she was spending the evening with and was glad they didn't ask. She knew they didn't like Draco even though Hermione had told them multiple times that it was her decision to raise the twins alone.

Hermione went back home and continued getting herself ready. She dressed nicely but still had a casual appearance. She wanted Draco to know she understood that they were just friends.

Finally, seven o'clock came around and Hermione took a deep nervous breath before appearing onto the streets of Hogsmeade. She looked up and saw the Three Broomsticks and what appeared to be Draco waiting for her outside.

"So where are we going tonight?" Hermione asked, stepping to his side.

"Just a simple, small restaurant, I forget the name but I've heard the food is great," Draco led her down a side street that she had never entered before.

"Does Natalie know I'm with you right now?" Hermione saw Draco flinch a little at the mention of her name.

"Err… She's actually away, visiting her father in France. She has no idea about this," He looked away as if Natalie was watching them somehow.

"Maybe— Maybe I should just go," Hermione suggested and made to move but Draco was too quick and pulled her back by the hand. He noticed she was wearing the ring again and suddenly let go.

"No, it's fine. It's only as friends, right?"

"But won't it look suspicious that you waited until she had left?" Hermione asked, the same thoughts running through her head.

"She won't find out though so we're safe," Draco insisted and Hermione knew they were done talking about it.

Draco turned into a small, simple restaurant with several other wizards and witches enjoying the food. He told his name to the man at the front and was led to a small table near the back. Being a proper gentleman, he pulled out Hermione's chair and allowed her to sit before taking up the spot in front of her.

"Have you been here before?" Hermione asked, looking over her menu.

"No, but Blaise has."

"Oh, you're still friends with him?" Hermione seemed surprised. The few times she had seen Draco and Blaise together, one was angry at the other for pointless reasons.

"Why is that such a shock?" Draco wondered, defending his friend. "I put up with your friends all through Hogwarts, so don't complain about mine."

"I wasn't complaining," admitted Hermione, slightly offended. "I just didn't think that you two got along well."

"Sorry," Draco muttered as a waiter arrived to take their orders.

They received their meals at once which appeared out of nowhere onto their plates. Hermione thought this was good so that they could leave earlier if the conversation lagged.

"Now, you wanted to hear more about Tristan & Emily, right?" Hermione looked up to see Draco nod. "Ask away, then."

"Okay, what's Emily middle name and Tristan?" He asked, taking a sip of his wine.

"Narcissa, Draco" Hermione stated immediately, causing him to almost spit his drink out.

"Narcissa? Why on earth would you name her after my mother?" Draco looked disgusted and puzzled at the same time.

"I was only joking," She giggled as he calmed down. "Elise is her middle name."

"That's a nice combination," Draco said, considering the name. "Tristan Draco Malfoy, Emily Elise Malfoy."

"Granger, you mean." Hermione corrected him, painfully, catching his eye before both looked down at their food.

"So when did you find out you were… you know, pregnant?" Draco asked awkwardly. Hermione thought it was funny that guys had trouble talking about certain things.

"I found out the middle of September," Hermione remembered back several years. "I didn't know what to do. I wrote to Ginny asking for advice but she said it was up to me. I kept writing to you for two more months before deciding that it would be better just to cut myself off from you."

"I remember you're letters became much more vague," Draco recalled as the conversation he had been waiting for began.

"I had a terrible feeling that you were hiding something from me, but I thought it might have been another guy. I almost came back just to make sure that you were still my Hermione and then I didn't because you broke it off before I could."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said a sad look in her eyes.

"I think I've forgiven you, or for the most part at least," Draco hand twitched, and for a fleeting instant, Hermione thought he was going to grab her own. "Now, tell me some more about Tristan & Emly."

"Well, Emily & Tristan first word was mum, probably because there was no one telling them to say dad," Hermione told him, glad that they were speaking of a brighter subject. "Emily favorite color is blue, although orange is high on her list because of the Cannons' colors. Tristan likes dark colors."

"Have you three been to any of the matches? Has Weasley's performance improved?" Draco smirked as he took a few last bites of his chicken.

"Yes, we've all been to several. He's not just the back-up keeper anymore and he finally learned to control his nerves." Hermione scowled. She hated when Draco made fun of Ron.

"If you insist," Draco said, pulling wizard coins from his pocket. "Shall we leave, then?"

"Sure," Hermione began, digging through her bag.

"Put those away," Draco looked at the money Hermione had just retrieved. "I'm paying for you."

"No, I'm paying for my own," Hermione refused, trying to hand Draco the appropriate amount.

He pushed her hand away and rushed to the front of the restaurant and quickly paid for the meals before Hermione could force the money upon him again.

"Why did you do that?" She asked, carrying his coat while putting her own on. "I thought this wasn't a date. Usually guys only do that when they're on dates."

"It's not a date, but I was the one who asked you to join me, so I thought I would be the one paying," Draco said and walked outside after Hermione.

The sky was clear but there was a cool breeze. Hermione could spot the faint outline of Hogwarts castle over the trees of Hogsmeade.

"Where are we going now?" She asked, wrapping her coat tighter as a strong gust of wind passed.

"Are you cold? We could go back to my place." Draco suggested. The temptation to place his arm around Hermione to stop her from shivering was growing immensely.

"You live nearby?"

"Right outside Hogsmeade," Draco pointed to the edge of the wizardry town. "I figured it would be nice to live close to Hogwarts now that I'll be teaching Potions next year."

"Does— Does Natalie live with you?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, she figured that we knew each other well enough from school that we could make the move earlier than most couples would," Draco said, stepping off the main road and onto a dirt trail through the forest. He obviously lived down this path.

"Since you've known her for more than the four months or so, have you thought about marriage yet?" Hermione wondered aloud. She didn't care if Draco knew she was jealous. He gave her a nervous glance before answering.

"I've thought about it, yes, but now that you're back and I found out about Tristan & Emily, the whole idea changes," Draco told her honestly and stopped at the gate of a large elegant house.

"You live here?" Hermione looked amazingly at the building in front of her. "This house is beautiful!"

"Thanks, now let's go inside before you freeze," Draco said, entering the large wooden door at the front.

Hermione took several moments to gaze admiringly around the room that they had walked into. There was a large fireplace, which burst into flames upon their entrance and quite a few shelves of books along the walls.

"Better?" Draco asked, as Hermione sat on the couch in front of the fire. He sat next to her, careful not to get too close.

"Yes, thanks," She replied politely, staring at the growing flames. "Have you thought any more about how you plan to help with Tristan & Emily?"

"Some what, but I still haven't come up with anything too brilliant," Draco spoke quietly. "It's still strange, knowing that I have a son and daughter. What did you do when you found out?"

"Well… I cried a lot. It definitely wasn't how I imagined my life would go, but I dealt with it," Hermione said, looking up. "And what did you do when you read my letter?"

"First, I kind of just stood there. It kind of felt like I had forgotten to breathe," Draco explained in a hurt tone of voice.

"Once the truth finally sunk in, I punched a wall. I even have the scars to prove it." He said with a hint of pride as he let Hermione see his knuckles. "I regretted that as soon as I did it."

"I was afraid you would hurt yourself," Hermione sighed.

"The thoughts did cross my mind of doing something crazy so that you would have to come back to me. I was devastated," He said in a near whisper, inching slowly closer. "You were the only option in my mind and it took me three years to even bring myself to look at another girl. Now you're back and I can't seem to think straight and I don't know what to do."

"If you want, I can leave and stay out of your life," Hermione said, not wanting to cause Draco any more trouble. She stood up, about to reach for her bag.

"I don't want you to go," Draco rose. "I want to help my kids and watch them grow."

Hermione could feel his breath against her skin and tried stepping back but her feet stayed firmly to the ground.

"If you leave again, I don't know what I would do," Draco said with a pain in his voice as if the thought was torturing him. He stared into her eyes with a familiar look.

"I shouldn't be here," Hermione spoke nervously, avoiding eye contact. "I'm going—"

Her words were cut off as Draco placed his lips against hers, his arms pulling her closer to him. Hermione struggled to break away but gave up as the kiss deepened and Draco brought her hands up around his neck.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," Draco whispered into Hermione's ear once the kiss had ended.

"From a kiss like that, I bet you missed me a whole lot." Hermione answered, smiling to herself.


	7. Chapter 7 A Lack of a Plan

Draco lay awake in his bed the following morning, unable to fall asleep again with the sun shining brightly into the room. A million thoughts were running through his head as he recalled what happened the night before and how he would have to go back to work that afternoon. He only just remembered that it was Saturday and he didn't actually have work, when the person in the bed with him stirred.

"Hermione," He whispered in case she wasn't truly conscious, "Are you awake?"

Hermione's eyes shot open and she nearly screamed when she saw Draco looking back at her.

"Calm down, it's just me!" Draco said reassuringly. He thought this might happen.

"Sorry, I forgot I was here," Hermione told him, her heart beating fast. She sat up in the bed, wrapping the sheets closely as she lifted her shirt from the floor.

"I'll wait downstairs for you," Draco looked away, embarrassed. He walked out of the room wearing a pair of boxers and throwing a t-shirt over his head as he shut the door to give Hermione some privacy.

She met him in the kitchen where he casually made two cups of coffee appear with a flick of his wand.

"No thanks," Hermione said as he made to pass one to her. "I should go. My parents are probably wondering what happened to me."

"Okay, I'll see you Monday, right?" Draco asked, looking hopeful. Hermione was glad that he still wanted to see her.

"Most likely," Hermione smiled, stepping out of the room with him. "Have you made up your mind yet?"

"Err… I still need some more time. There's a lot to think about, you know?" He didn't mention how he was up before the sun, trying to think of what to do with the situation he was in.

"Right. Bye then," Hermione sighed, disappointed, and appeared to her parent's backyard once she was off of Draco property.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger lived on a quiet Muggle street and Hermione always made sure to apparatus to the back of the house so none of the innocent neighbors would see her.

She knocked lightly on the back door which was opened a minute later by her mother.

"How was the date last night?" She immediately asked. Hermione's mother had always been nosey when it came to her daughter's business.

"It wasn't a date," Hermione reminded her although it sure seemed like one. "But it was nice all the same."

"Will you ever tell us who the lucky man was?"

"Maybe, but not today," Hermione said. Draco was, after all, still hesitating with his plans and this worried Hermione.

She and her mother walked to the sitting room where Tristan & Emily was watching Muggle cartoons on an old television set. They had her grandparents' cat sitting next to them, trying to snag some of the breakfast they were eating. Emily playfully batted the cat away and looked up.

"Mummy!" She exclaimed, hoping off the couch and leaving her muffin alone on a plate.

The impatient cat sprang onto the half eaten breakfast and carried it off to her favorite corner of the room.

"Bad kitty!" Emily scowled, glaring at the cat. Tristan just laughed at the cat.

Hermione sensed that Emily might perform accidental magic and hurt the cat so she quickly promised her daughter another muffin when they got home. They all said goodbye to Hermione's parents and traveled by the floo network back to their own house.

There was a large tawny owl waiting at the front window, a letter tied to his leg. Hermione had a second of hope where she thought Draco had made up a plan and wanted to tell her already; when she realized that it was Ron's owl.

She untied the letter and read it quickly.

Hermione,

Ginny's came home with the kids last night and Harry wanted me to invite you and the twins to their house for dinner tonight. I don't know why the guys couldn't write the letter himself but he says to just show up whenever. My whole family will be there except for Charlie. Apparently they're having some trouble with a dragon back in Romania. We hope to see you later!

-Ron

"Do you want to see your new cousins tonight, Tristan, Emily?" Hermione asked, placing the short piece of parchment on a table.

"Do they play Exploding Snap?" Emily asked, grinning widely as she took a muffin from her mother.

"I don't think so, they're really little. I'm sure Uncles Fred and George will play though!"

"Are my cousins nice?" Tristan asked, curiously.

"Very nice and probably very sleepy too," Hermione smiled.

Tonight would be a good time to tell Ginny about her "date" with Draco. Hermione hoped that he would figure out a plan soon though, she couldn't stand not knowing if he wanted to stay with her or with Natalie. Maybe she would ask for Ron's advice too, although she would leave out certain details for sure.

They arrived once again, by the floo network, at Harry and Ginny's home near London, later that day. There was a lovely blue banner floating near the ceiling with neat blue letters that said: Welcome Home James, Sirius, Max. Someone had added underneath in parenthesis, the words: And Ginny.

Tristan and Emily were happily watching some of Fred and George's new jokes and the newest set of t triplets were asleep in their parents' bedroom. Hermione took this free time to follow Ginny upstairs into the new nursery to tell her the news. She squealed enthusiastically when Hermione mentioned the kiss.

"Was it a good kiss?" Ginny asked, looking innocent.

"Why do you always care how good the kisses are?" Ginny shrugged. "Yes, it was a really good kiss," Hermione paused, considering the next thing that happened and whether she should tell Ginny. She decided that she might as well. The more Ginny knew, the more she could help. "And then I— I slept with him…"

"You did what?" Ginny's eyes bulged out of her head. "Were you two drunk?"

"No, we only had a small glass of wine each," Hermione confessed quietly.

"Well, was that good?"

"Ginny!" Hermione threatened, hitting her on the arm.

"Fine. I figured you told me that much, why not go for a little more detail?" Ginny laughed, repositioning herself in a rocking chair. "So, is he going to dump that Natalie girl?"

"He's still thinking about what to do," Hermione frowned, looking away.

"Well, he'd be a right foul gut if he didn't. Try talking to him about it and tell him you want to help. It's not just his future that this concerns."

"You're right," Hermione agreed. She would confront Draco on Monday after picking the twins up.

"Don't bother asking Ron for advice," Ginny suggested. "He'd probably go after Draco and give him a few punches in the face for not staying with you for sure."

"Probably. I kind of feel like doing the same, though. All this waiting for an answer is making me nervous."

"He'll come around eventually. Didn't Draco tell you that no matter what, you would end up together?"

"Yes, it was in the letter," Of course Hermione would remember that. She had memorized the entire letter, having read it so many times.

"I think he's right. You two were meant for each other and even if he doesn't see it now, he will at the end of it all," Ginny concluded, standing up to open the door.

"Let's hope so," Hermione tried to smile but her worrying took over.


	8. Chapter 8 Moving On

"Why do you look so sad, Emily?" Hermione asked after picking her daughter up Monday afternoon.

"Mr. Malfoy is gone," The little boy frowned, looking up with his large gray eyes.

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" Hermione repeated, turning to the woman who usually sat at the desk. She had thought about talking to Draco all weekend long, hoping to get a straight answer out of him, and now he was apparently gone.

"He sent an owl early this morning, saying he couldn't work here." The woman replied kindly. The ominous feeling in the pit of Hermione's stomach suddenly intensified.

"Did he say why?" She questioned, her voice cracking slightly.

"All he wrote was that he didn't want to get too attached to the children before he moved on to working at Hogwarts. I'm sure Tristan & Emily will love the new woman we've hired. She's quite lovely."

"Probably," Hermione agreed half heartedly. "Well, have a good afternoon."

She forced a smile before leaving with the twins. What did this mean? Was that the real reason Draco left, or was there a deeper meaning? He didn't want to become attached to the children. Was it really only the twins that he didn't want to get close to? Did he make up his mind, then?

Hermione knew what she had to do. She appeared to Ron's apartment with the twins. She would have gone to Ginny's but she had enough trouble taking care of her three newborns.

She knocked on the door. Ron appeared several seconds later, surprised to find the two witches plus one wizard at his place.

"What's up?" He asked, eyeing Hermione suspiciously.

"Can you please watch Tristan & Emily? I need to talk to Draco and I can't wait for another time." Hermione explained, following Ron inside and pulling her son and daughter by the hand.

"Sure. Is everything okay?" A worried look dawned across Ron's face.

"I don't know." Hermione confessed, wanting to cry. She held back the tears though; it probably wouldn't be a good idea to show up on Draco doorstep crying, especially if Hermione was receiving the wrong message.

"It'll be alright." Ron reassured her. "Now, go talk to him. The twins and I can have some 'bonding time' or whatever they call it."

"Thanks." Hermione smiled thankfully before giving Ron a quick hug and placing a kiss on Tristan & Emily's forehead. She then turned on the spot and appeared to the entrance to Draco Street in Hogsmeade.

As quickly as she could, without tripping over her own feet, she made her way to the unmistakable house of Draco Malfoy.

Hermione took a deep breath, thinking of what to say first, and knocked once again on the door.

The door opened, followed by Hermione's mouth, but when she saw the person behind it, she quickly clamped her teeth together.

"You're Hermione, right?" Natalie asked, even more surprised than Ron was when he opened his door.

"Yes, that's me. Is Draco around?" Hermione moved on and then realized she probably sounded rude. She couldn't hate Natalie. She hadn't done anything wrong and Hermione couldn't help wishing that Natalie had, just to give her a reason to dislike her.

"He went up to Hogwarts to make more arrangements about an hour ago. Would you like me to tell him you stopped by? How did you know where to look anyway?" Natalie asked without much suspicion. She had plenty of reasons to dislike Hermione, but thankfully she didn't have any knowledge of them.

"Oh, I was looking for him at the daycare center and they gave me his address so I could contact him." Hermione invented the story in her head. She thought it sounded plausible. "I'll probably catch him on his way back. I was about to stop by the school to use the library. I haven't been able to find one with as many books."

"I'll see you around then, I guess." Natalie waved politely at the retreating Hermione who waved back.

Hermione continued down the main street of Hogsmeade before passing through the train station and onto the road that led to Hogwarts. The trip seemed much longer when there were no carriages involved.

She had just decided to wait by the oak doors until Draco showed up, when the sound of footsteps caught her attention. There would be no need to wait; Draco was walking down the path, looking at his feet and not paying attention to his surroundings.

"Draco?" Hermione called. Draco head snapped up and his eyes locked onto Hermione's for a fraction of a second, then he glanced around.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, not meeting her gaze again.

"Looking for you. Can we please talk?" Hermione pleaded, turning to walk with Draco as he passed her.

"I don't know…" Draco looked uneasy and continued toward Hogsmeade. Hermione almost had to run to keep up with him.

"Please stop. I need you to listen." Hermione insisted, tugging on his arm. He spun around to face her but he wasn't actually looking at her. They had stopped right on the edge of the grounds.

"Yes?" Draco waited impatiently, crossing his arms.

"You haven't given me a plan yet and I decided that I wanted to help." Hermione told him.

"There's nothing to help with. I made up my mind." Draco informed her and finally chose to stare at the ground again.

"And?"

"Well, I think it would just be the best for both of us if we were to go our separate ways." Draco said quietly, as if he wasn't sure he really meant it.

"What? I thought you wanted to be a part of Tristan's & Emily's life? What about the other day? I don't understand—"

"That night with you was a mistake, Hermione. I didn't mean for it to get that far. We were probably drunk or something…" Draco suggested.

"I seriously don't think we were drunk! Why are you doing this?" Hermione was at a loss for words as she felt a burning in her throat telling her she was probably going to cry.

"I don't— I don't love you. I don't have feelings for you and I don't want to make it hard for you to be in Tristan's & Emily's life when I can't be in yours." Draco said and his voice had no sympathy in it.

"How can you say that when you kissed me and slept with me only a few days ago?!" Hermione exclaimed, her own voice sounded stronger than she thought it would and no tears had fallen yet. Maybe she had cried so much in the past few years that she had used up her life's worth of tears.

"It didn't mean anything!" Draco nearly shouted, trying to get his point across. "I don't know what happened that night but I know that I can't be with you and I'm taking myself out of your life."

"But you won't be out of my life! I thought about you every day, last time you left me. I only dream about you and how my life would be different if we were together. I look at Tristan & Emily and I see you. You'll always be there, haunting me and making my life hell to know that it could have worked if I hadn't split up with you for your own good!" Hermione choked out. Apparently she still had tears left to cry.

"I'm sorry if you made a stupid mistake and won't ever be able to move on, but I have moved on and I don't want you in my own life anymore." Draco admitted angrily, taking a step away while Hermione wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"You d-don't want to see the twins either?" Hermione looked up into his cold eyes which quickly looked away.

"Sorry, I don't." He stated bluntly. The apology wasn't heard in his tone. "It would mess things up with Natalie."

"I'm g-going to tell the twins that you're their father when she's old enough to fully understand. I can't lie to them." Hermione said, giving up on wiping the tears away.

"Sure, they're your kids, after all."

"And yours." Hermione mumbled to herself but she could tell Draco heard. His face contorted into a pained expression, the only sign of guilt he had shown so far.

"I'm sorry." Draco said and this time he seemed to mean it. He opened his mouth as if to say something else, actually looking into Hermione's waiting eyes, but closed it. Without any final goodbye, he stepped outside of the boundaries of Hogwarts and disappeared away from the scene.

Hermione stood alone for what seemed like forever, just letting the tears flow freely. Her arms folded across her chest as if they were keeping her from falling apart and her head bowed to the ground, causing her hair to fall in her face.

After a few long minutes of crying, Hermione felt able enough to move. She crossed the boundary line as Draco had and in almost an instant she was back at Ron's apartment.

Ron heard the loud crack from inside and immediately went to open the door.

He only had to glance at Hermione to know something was very wrong. He dropped the Quidditch magazine he had been reading and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Hermione buried her face in his chest as Ron placed his chin on the top of her head.

"Is mummy sad too?" A little voice asked from nearby.

Hermione couldn't pick her head up and let her daughter see her in this state. Ron understood and replied. "She'll be okay. I think she just needs a lot of hugs."

"Don't be sad," Emily insisted and wrapped her arms around her mother. Tristan hugged along.

Ron carefully wiped the tears from Hermione's face with the back of his hand and released her. She bent down and pulled the twins into a real hug, placing a small kiss on the top of their head.

"Ron, where are you going?" Hermione asked in a shaky voice as she looked up. Ron was putting on a coat and heading for the door.

"I think I'll have a nice chat with Draco Malfoy. Maybe Fred and George will join me if they aren't too busy." Ron admitted, although Hermione doubted the "nice chat" would be very nice nor much of a chat.

"Please, don't hurt him." Hermione said, not knowing why she was still defending the guy that had caused all the pain she was currently feeling.

"We'll try our err… hardest?" Ron lied very blatantly and shut the door behind him.


	9. Chapter 9 The Truth

"How did your little visit go?" Natalie asked Draco when he arrived home from his confrontation with Hermione.

"It was fine. Everything's set for September." Draco replied, sitting on the couch next to her.

"That's good. Did you happen to see Hermione? She came here looking for you and I told her you were at Hogwarts." Natalie said, expressing her concern.

"Oh, really? She wasn't there when I left." Draco lied so that he wouldn't have to think or talk about what he had just done. He felt terrible and hated how he had caused the tortured look upon her face and how it would be his last memory of her.

"I guess it wasn't too important, then." Natalie concluded and moved closer to Draco. "Are you feeling alright? You look upset."

"I'm just… tired." He decided after a quick moment, averting his eyes again.

"I know what'll wake you up!" She smiled, playing absent mindedly with a strand of Draco hair.

"What's that?" Draco asked with honest curiosity. Anything that would clear his mind would be welcomed.

"This." Natalie stopped playing with his hair and moved her arms around his neck. Her lips pressed against his in a swift motion and she shifted to sit on his lap.

Draco barely kissed back when he realized kissing was making the situation worse. He took Natalie's hands and unwrapped them from his neck, then pulled his face away.

"Not right now," He whispered, hoping she would obey. "I think some air might wake me up. I won't be out long."

"Do you want me to come with you, in case you fall asleep?" Natalie laughed, climbing off of him.

He shook his head. "No, it's okay. You get cold easily and it's not the warmest out, today."

"You're right. How 'bout I make some of my hot chocolate for when you get back?" Natalie suggested, moving toward the kitchen.

"That sounds perfect." Draco said, pulling his heavy coat back on and stepping outside.

He walked with no real intentions on where to go. He thought of getting a few quick drinks at the Hog's Head but he didn't want to upset Natalie. There was nothing he needed to buy from any of the Hogsmeade shops so he settled on wandering aimlessly down the streets.

Draco still wasn't sure if he had done the right thing. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He was happy with Natalie until Hermione was added to the equation. He had nearly forgotten how attracted he was to her during their seventh year at Hogwarts, and now all of the memories were flooding back. Draco suddenly felt sick from his final meeting with Hermione.

He sat on a bench around the back of an old book store and bent over with his face in his hands. Everything was wrong, he thought. He was supposed to be free from Hermione, free from the memories, and most of all, free from the feelings. There was no point to telling her off if both of them were going to be miserable. He loved Natalie, he was quite sure, but Hermione had once stolen his heart, too.

Draco took a deep breath and then exhaled in a long sigh. He picked up his head and noticed a few people striding in his direction down the empty street. They were hard not to notice, with their flaming red hair.

With a jolt of panic, Draco realized the three Weasley's were staring at him with menacing glares. He shrugged. There was no possible way of escaping and his wand was no use against three others if they decided not to do it the muggle way. What would he tell Natalie when he came home in a less-than-perfect state? He should probably at least try to defend himself.

"Draco Malfoy…" Ron spoke slowly, drawing out his name. Draco pulled out his wand, standing up.

"You were easier to find than we thought you'd be." George said. He and Fred didn't look like they would be joking around at all, today.

"You might want to put your wand away. Hermione would be upset if you tried to hurt us." Ron informed him. Draco flinched at Hermione's name, but put his wand down. He truly didn't want to hurt her or upset her anymore.

"Can we just get this over with, then?" He asked, knowing what was coming.

"Sure, thanks for cooperating." Ron said, and all three of them rolled up their sleeves a little.

Draco bit his lip, awaiting the pain. "This one," Ron began again, "Its for Hermione." He swung his fist through the air, colliding with Draco face. There was a sickening crack, caused by the breaking of his nose. Draco spat blood from his lips but continued waiting for more.

"This is for Tristan" Fred informed him, and without hesitation, he threw a punch at Draco stomach. He gave a strangled grunt, before falling to the ground, clutching his middle.

Draco lifted his head to glare with hatred at the final Weasley. "And this one is for Emily and I don't like you." George decided, smirking ever so slightly. He jerked his leg forward and gave Draco a hard kick to the stomach again.

"If you ever hurt her again, I swear I'll kill you." Ron growled as Draco coughed up blood.

"Have a nice evening." The twins said in a much lighter tone and walked off with Ron, leaving Draco on the ground.

Draco couldn't decide weather he was glad or not that the street was empty. Maybe if there had been people, he wouldn't be in so much pain. If there were people though, he would feel humiliated. His nose was definitely broken and he probably had a black eye, but other than that, he was just badly bruised. He lay there, trying to steady his breathing which was coming in painful gasps. Finally, Draco unwrapped his arms from his middle and pushed himself up.

He didn't bother trying to fix himself in case he made it worse. He could tell Natalie that he walked into a tree or something. He would hide the bruises from her until they healed or he found a spell to clear them.

The sky was starting to get dark so he walked as fast as he could, through back streets so no one would see him, and finally through the door of his house.

"Feeling better?" Natalie called from another room. She appeared carrying a tray with two mugs and some sweets and looked up at Draco. "Draco!" She jumped at his bloody appearance, dropping the tray. The mugs shattered and the drinks and food flew all over the floor. "What happened?!"

She ignored the mess she made and ran over to examine him. "I tripped over a rock and hit my face on a bench on the way down." That sounded believable, although he wasn't often clumsy.

"I thought someone tried to kill you!" Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. "Is your nose broken?"

"Probably. Do you still have that bottle of Skele-Gro?" Draco looked at his reflection in the old mirror above the fireplace. There was dried blood all over his face and in his hair. He did indeed have a black eye and he could feel the bruises forming on his torso. No wonder he had frightened Natalie.

"I'll go check." Natalie hurried away, leaping over the bits of food and shards of the mug.

Draco pulled his wand from his pocket to clean up the mess. The food was wasted, but he didn't feel like eating much anyway.

Natalie returned seconds later carrying a bottle of the magical bone-growing potion. Draco drank a glass of the disgusting liquid and waited as Natalie cleaned the blood from his face.

"Thanks," Draco tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace. Natalie didn't respond right away but sat in a chair. Draco followed, sitting on the couch.

"Are you sure you tripped?" She asked after a long while of studying his face.

"Yes, and my memory wasn't affected." Draco replied, thinking it was a stupid question. Then again, maybe she suspected something.

"No, I mean are you sure you're not lying?" Natalie admitted her suspicion, her voice shaking with nerves. Draco didn't answer.

"This was about Hermione, wasn't it?" She was now speaking in a whisper. Draco eyes stared into the flames within the fireplace. He nodded slightly.

"Her name seemed so familiar. She was the girl from Hogwarts, not Lavender Brown or whatever." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Natalie had figured it all out.

"I'm so sorry I lied. I just didn't want any problems." Draco told her, honestly. He hadn't expected her to find out, and if she had, he was hoping it would be several years in the future. He had inflicted so much pain on Hermione lately, he didn't think he could stand it anymore.

"Her son and daughter, Tristan & Emily, they're your kids too?" Natalie checked more of her theories. She didn't seem as upset as she should be. Maybe there was no shock because she had known deep down that Draco was lying to her.

"Yes, only I didn't know I had a son and daughter until recently. Remember the day I went to Blaise's? That's the day I found out." Draco explained, finally able to meet Natalie's vivid blue eyes. "Hermione wanted me to stay in school so she split up with me. I'm over that though. She asked me to form a plan as to how I wanted to be a part of Tristan's & Emily's life. That's why I quit my job. I finally decided it was best to stay completely out of her life."

"What happened today with Hermione?" Natalie asked, her voice calm and back to its usual volume, now.

"I told her that I didn't want to be in her life or the twins and that I didn't love her, but I love you instead. I said I'd moved on." Draco recalled how his words had torn Hermione apart.

There was an extended silence between them. Obviously Natalie was going over things in her mind, probably planning on yelling at Draco, or having a long talk with him, or most likely how she was going to leave him.

"You still love her, don't you?" Natalie posed the unexpected question.

Draco barely had to think about his answer and the response came naturally.

"Yes."


	10. Chapter 10 Starting the Process

"Do you want me to stay with you for the night?" Ron asked Hermione after escorting her and the twins home the same evening.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. I don't want to bother you anymore." Hermione insisted, hanging Emily's jacket on a hook. Ron frowned as he hangs up Tristan jacket on a hook.

"You're not bothering me at all. It's he who bothers me," Ron made sure not to say Draco name. "I just want things to be how they should be, with you being happy again."

"I'll try." She gave him a weak smile and a quick squeeze before he left.

Hermione dressed the twins in their tiny pajamas, read her a quick wizard fable involving a dragon, and tucked them into bed, all while keeping her emotions straight and trying to push unwanted thoughts out of her head. Finally, the moment she was alone in her room, Hermione lost control.

She collapsed on her bed, pulling her knees to her chest as if she were sixteen years old. A silencing charm was placed on the door so that she wouldn't wake Tristan & Emily with her unrestrained sobbing.

Maybe she should have let Ron stay; it was no good to be alone at a time like this. Hermione figured she would have broken down eventually though, probably the moment Ron had left in the morning. It was better to let everything out sooner than later. It was better to start getting over Draco now than make it more painful to forget him later.

Hermione knew how she would start the process of erasing every memory of him from her mind, without of course, physically erasing the memories. She opened the topmost drawer of her dresser and pulled out a thick pile of parchment letters, bound together by a tattered rope. She ripped through it easily and opened the first letter that had been saved.

Hermione knew that the pain she would feel was only part of forgetting. She read through the letter carefully.

Dear Hermione,

I'm so sorry I didn't tell you that I would be leaving early this morning, but I couldn't bear to see you cry again, knowing that it was because of me. I want you to know that I will always love you, no matter what happens between us. These next three years will seem like forever, but I am willing to wait that long as if you are. I promise I'll write to you and try to visit if possible.

You are the most amazing person I ever met and I don't think there is anyone as perfect for me as you are. When I'm out of this school, I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I truly mean it. Even if something happens while we're apart, I know that in the end we will be together and everything will all work out.

Inside the box is something for you so that you can always be reminded of me and remembers everything between us. Please don't be upset, you know I wouldn't want that and that I never meant for this to hurt you. I'm sure I'm already missing you while you read this and once these years are over, you won't be able to keep me away from you.

Love, forever,  
Draco

He couldn't bear seeing her cry knowing that he caused the tears. How ironic. He seemed to have no trouble doing that recently. The line that stood out the most, however, was that even if something were to happen while Draco was at school, everything would work out in the end and they would be together. Draco seemed sure of this when he wrote the letter.

Hermione glanced over the letter a few more times before folding it and placing it on her bedside table with the small box that contained Draco ring. She knew what she was going to do with these, not because she wanted to cause more problems, but because she didn't know what else to do with them.

The pile of letters slowly diminished as Hermione studied each one. After the fifth or sixth one, Hermione had stopped crying. Draco words weren't affecting her anymore, as if she had become immune to the pain. Finally, she reached the second to last letter. They had grown shorter and less detailed as they went on. She read it through in less than a minute.

Hermione,

Is everything alright? You seem extremely distant lately; please tell me what's wrong. I need to see you soon. I'm going crazy here without you and it's only been a few months.

Love,  
Draco

That was while Hermione was trying to hide her pregnancy from Draco. She remembered discussing things like the weather, Quidditch, and anything excluding herself. At this point, she knew what she had to do, so she wrote the infamous final letter to Draco that broke all ties with him. He wrote back a short, simple letter in response, which Hermione also read.

Hermione,

I can only imagine that this is my fault. I was the one that left you and I'm sorry. I hope we can meet again, once I'm out of here.

Draco.

Hermione now took out an unused piece of parchment and wrote her own letter on it. She then took the many letters including this new one and retied them, grabbed the box with the ring, and tied everything to the leg of the owl she had recently received a notice from. The owl had been recovering from its last journey and was ready for it's next one to Hogsmeade. Hermione fed it a few owl treats before taking a deep breath and letting the owl fly toward its destination.

It was several minutes past midnight when the owl was out of sight through the window. There was an eerie silence throughout the house as Hermione shuffled to her bedroom again and fell into a deep, much needed sleep, praying that Draco wouldn't be haunting her dreams.

When Draco had confessed everything to Natalie, including his newly-discovered love for Hermione, Natalie was unusually understanding. He apologized profusely but Natalie insisted that he belonged with Hermione after all of the recent events, to which he was very grateful. He didn't need to make someone else cry that day.

He helped Natalie pack her things. Using magic was extremely useful and Natalie had left later that night. She was going to stay with her friend who didn't seem to mind, but Draco felt terrible for having to evacuate her from his home. Both had agreed though, that it would have been awkward to live together as a split couple if he had feelings for Hermione.

Now, there was nothing to do but sit around and wait for the morning when he could find Hermione and convince her that he was a complete jerk and that he really does love her.

Draco had just gone over for the tenth time what he was going to say to her when there was a soft tap at his window. He rolled lazily off the couch and let the tired tawny owl inside. He released his mail and allowed the messenger owl to fly back out through the window.

From the neat script on the address, Draco knew who had sent it. With shaky hands, he tore open the sealed parchment and set his eyes on Hermione's letter.

Draco,

This is the last time I plan on contacting you. If you ever see me anywhere, please do not talk to me or even show your face to me. I don't think I can with stand anymore pain and damage from you. Please don't reply to this. I don't want to hear from you. I'm trying to make it seem as if you never existed, just like you wanted. I hope this is good news to you.

Hermione.

Draco had never felt anything like what he was feeling as he finished the letter. It was as if someone had taken one of the ancient Malfoy's swords hanging on the wall and stuck it through Draco chest at every possible angle.

How could he have caused such a disaster? There was now no chance of speaking with Hermione the following morning. She would just slam the door on his face and call for the Weasley's again. He couldn't write to Hermione. She would probably rip the letter off the poor owl and toss it into a blazing fire without reading a single word from it.

He looked at the rest of the delivery. It contained every one of the letters Draco had sent her plus the ring he had given her at the end of seventh year.

"Remember me," Draco read out loud, placing the ring on the tip of his smallest finger. Now all Hermione wanted to do was forget him and the clever Slytherin couldn't figure out a single way to speak with her.

Draco took the box of which the ring came from and chucked it as hard as he could while letting out a strangled yell of frustration with himself. The box hit the opposite wall, not creating much damage except chipping the paint. Draco pulled the ring off his finger as he placed his head in his hands. A burning sensation filled his throat and tears fell from his eyes as they did when he had previously thought all hope of being with Hermione had vanished.


	11. Chapter 11 Letting Go and Holding On

Several weeks had passed since Hermione's incident with Draco and she had made as much progress at keeping Draco out of her life as she could mentally handle. He had obeyed her wishes to never make any contact with her again and Hermione was going out of her way to avoid anything that might cause her to think of him.

Spring had finally arrived and the icy weather had receded. Hermione was just about to leave work to pick the twins up from the Burrow. She had recently found the twins a babysitter, a middle-aged witch with two children in Hogwarts and one who had just graduated and was now studying magical creatures in Bulgaria. Mrs. Prescott was taking a quick holiday to visit her son, so Mrs. Weasley had offered to watch twins for the week.

Hermione locked her office door and turned around to see Ginny waiting in the main entrance.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked with surprise, though her voice sounded overly joyful as if she was really about to emotionally break down.

"We haven't done anything fun in a while and mum's watching the boys too, so I thought we could maybe have dinner then wander around Diagon Alley." Ginny informed Hermione with a wide, enthusiastic grin.

"Does your mum know I'll be with you and won't be able to get Tristan & Emily?" Hermione questioned with a guilty hope that she could leave.

Ginny nodded, "She said its fine. Where do you want to eat?"

"I remember there was a nice tea shop type of place near Flourish and Blotts." She suggested, stepping out into the fresh spring air.

They moved quickly in silence, only speaking to make sure they were going the right way. When they finally reached the miniature restaurant, Hermione took a glance inside, through the large front window. Her eyes immediately spotted a man with very light blonde hair. Without knowing if the man was actually Draco, Hermione turned her head and stopped walking.

"I forgot. This isn't the right place. The food here made me sick last time." Hermione said in one breath.

Ginny paused, her hand almost on the door handle. She peered in through the window. "That's not him, Hermione. That guy looks like he's fifty years old."

"What guy?" Hermione tried to sound confused.

"You cant honestly think I don't know what's going on with you?" Ginny exclaimed, stepping away from the door and moving back to Hermione's side. "You're like a zombie or something! All of your responses are so forced, I'm surprised you aren't speaking in monotone. I haven't seen a real smile on your face in weeks and it's killing me to just imagine how you must really feel!"

"I'm trying so hard to keep a straight face Ginny! I don't know what else to do!" Hermione admitted, putting her face in her hands.

"You don't have to pretend you're alright. I'd almost rather see you burst into tears than have you act like a boring, empty person." Ginny put an arm around Hermione to comfort her.

Hermione lifted her head. Her eyes were still dry. "I just want everything back to normal! You don't know how much I'm trying to just forget him and move on, but I can't! Everywhere I go, I think I see him. Everything I see reminds me of him. It's as if he's haunting me and following me no matter what I do!"

"But he's hurt you so much more than you could ever deserve! I don't even think you deserve even the slightest fraction of the crap that he's put you through. I can't understand how you're still in love with him!"

"I didn't say I was in love with him." Hermione corrected quietly.

"Well, are you?" Ginny asked, but it was more like an order for Hermione to tell her.

"I can't possibly think of a reason why or how, but I am." Hermione replied, seeming ashamed with herself. "My brain is telling me to forget him and move on, but my heart just won't let go, as if there's still a gleam of hope."

"You've always listened to your brain. Maybe you shouldn't stop. Maybe you're better off without him." Ginny advised, hoping Hermione would agree.

"I don't know how to." Hermione sighed, frustrated.

"Yes, you do. You're just not allowing yourself to do it." Ginny pointed out and Hermione knew it was true.

Draco stared up with hazy eyes at the high ceilings of his house. His hands were under his head and he was spread lazily across his largest couch. There were dark circles below his grey eyes, for he hadn't slept well since everything had ended with Hermione. He hadn't left the house in almost a week, and he was barely eating anything. The only thing Draco had made an effort to do was come up with a plan for the situation he was in. So far, he was unsuccessful.

A sudden outburst of noise came from the main entrance to Draco home and he barely flinched as his door was knocked into his wall.

"Draco, are you alive?" Blaise's voice echoed from the other side of the room.

Draco eyes lowered to meet Blaise's as he let out a low grunt in response. His eyes then shot back to the same section of the ceiling before he rolled himself off the couch to see what mess Blaise had made upon entering.

"You could have knocked…" Draco muttered, fixing the broken door with his wand.

"I was knocking for the past five minutes." Blaise confessed, studying Draco appearance. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Sure, and I'm becoming Headmaster at Hogwarts." Blaise sarcastically told him. "You look like you've fallen into a pile of garbage."

"Fine. Everything is wrong." Draco admitted and began telling Blaise of everything that had happened in the past few weeks.

"Why don't you just tell Hermione how you made a huge mistake?" asked Blaise after he heard the whole story.

"She doesn't want to see me and I'm pretty sure she hates me right now." Draco yawned although it was still late afternoon.

Blaise thought this was a stupid point. "So? If you really love her, isn't it better to tell her than to sit around wondering what she might do?"

"But…" Draco hesitated and shifted in his chair. He didn't want to make it harder for Hermione by showing up on her doorstep, yet he didn't want to live the rest of his life not knowing what would have happened.

"Just go talk to her. What's the worst that can happen? She tells you to leave and that she doesn't love you? Big deal." Blaise stated plainly. Draco couldn't fight his friend's reasoning.

"I'll go when figure out what to say to her." Draco had no idea how he was going to honestly explain his affection for Hermione. She wouldn't believe him and he knew it.

"Don't think too hard. Say whatever comes to mind." Blaise instructed, standing up. He wrinkled his nose slightly, "I'm going to head back home. You're starting to smell… When was the last time you showered?"

"I don't remember. I haven't done anything lately." Draco smirked, stepping closer to his friend who moved back toward the door.

"Well, I suggest you clean up a little before paying Hermione a visit, and don't come any closer to me." Blaise opened the repaired door, "Don't forget to tell me how everything goes." He gave a slight wave and headed down the path back to Hogsmeade.

Draco lay back down on the couch. He knew what he had to do. He didn't care what Blaise said, he couldn't walk up to Hermione without planning what he would tell her. Draco would figure that part out before going to sleep, and in the morning he would shower and head straight to Hermione's house. He wasn't going to put it off; it was either now or never.


	12. Chapter 12 The Confession

The early morning sun had just reached past the roof of Hermione Granger's house when Draco Malfoy stepped onto her front porch. He had gone over in his head his explanation and his reason for coming back, along with his apology. He had purposely arrived empty-handed so that Hermione wouldn't think he was bribing her with flowers or other gifts.

Draco raised his shaking hand, took a deep breath, and tapped lightly on the door. It swung cautiously open as he nervously moved his hair out of his eyes.

Hermione inhaled sharply, almost out of fear, when she saw who had come to pay her a visit. Her eyes shot to the floor and her head lowered while she began to seal the entrance again.

"Wait!—"

It was too late. Hermione slammed the door in Draco face and he heard the lock quickly slide into place.

"Hermione…" He groaned loudly so that she could hear him. "Please, just let me say what I came here to say!"

"You've had your chance. Go away!" She shouted from an open window upstairs which she closed too.

"I'm not leaving until you let me talk." Draco stated plainly, not sure if his voice had reached her ears.

He slowly ambled to the street curb in front of the house, checking over his shoulder to see if Hermione had given in yet. All of the blinds had been pulled together. Apparently, she wasn't going to be so easy to speak with this time. He didn't blame her, though.

The only thing left to do was to wait. Draco sat gently on the curb. He couldn't leave; this was something that needed to be done. Besides, he had no way of leaving unless he planned to walk several miles to a deserted forest so that he could apparatus.

Nearly an hour had passed when Draco heard the door reopen. He smirked, turning around. That was faster than he thought it would take, but when he saw Hermione staring down the street, his heart fell back into place.

"'Morning, Weasley." Draco smiled with fake politeness as Ginny passed on her way to Hermione.

"Haven't you caused enough damage?" Ginny mumbled as she shook her head in disgust. "How long has he been here?"

"An hour," Hermione complained, allowing Ginny inside, "And I don't think he's leaving soon."

"Things were just starting to brighten up around here. You were all set to make things better for once, and now he's back to ruin everything again." Ginny frowned.

Hermione nodded in false agreement. She hadn't felt any change of heart and she doubted she ever would. Giving in to Draco though, would mean acknowledging how much she was missing him. She also didn't want to be disappointed again.

"Want me to make him leave?" Ginny asked, studying Hermione's expression.

"I kind of want to see how long he'll wait." Hermione wanted to know how desperate he was. She just couldn't look at him. She hated having to picture Draco flawless face and know that she may never see it again.

"What shall we do while we're stuck inside, then?"

"The twins had been asking for chocolate chip cookies lately. They can help us bake some." Hermione began, pulling ingredients from the shelves of her kitchen.

"Cookies?" Emily's tiny voice squealed from the next room, and in an instant she was at Hermione's side. Tristan came after his sister Emily.

Draco stared at the same blade of grass that he'd been staring at for the past fifteen minutes. He was beginning to wonder why time seemed to slow down whenever he was waiting for something. Nothing interesting had happened for the last four hours except for the passing of a light gray cat. Draco was starting to grow hungry and he as about to fall asleep due to boredom. Several times he thought about leaving, but he wasn't going to give up. He needed to say one thing to Hermione and if he didn't, he'd probably regret it for the rest of his life.

"He's still there?" Ginny exclaimed, peering out the window toward Draco who was now sprawled across Hermione's lawn, mesmerized by the flowers forming on the tree above him.

"Maybe he'll leave soon…" Hermione shrugged and handed Tristan & Emily one of the cookies they had just made.

"If he's still here tomorrow, tell the Ministry to send someone over." Ginny honestly suggested.

"No, I don't want to get him in trouble. I really hope he's not here tomorrow, I'd feel terrible." She sighed.

"Even after everything he's done to you?" Ginny was astounded.

"Okay, not that terrible." Hermione allowed herself to smile slightly. She just hoped Draco would leave before another six hours passed.

Draco wasn't even paying attention to what he was looking at, but when a large drop of water hit his forehead, he noticed that the sun was now covered by several layers of dark clouds. He had been going over what he was going to say to Hermione, although he had memorized it the previous night.

He sat up and returned to his spot on the curb after more rain drops had landed on him. This was wonderful, he thought sarcastically. Just what he needed rain.

His mood lightened up a little as he felt the drops stop. Maybe it was just a passing cloud and the sun would be out in no time. Draco looked out in all directions but there was not a single patch of blue sky. What would he do if it started to rain harder? Draco decided he wouldn't go home that easily and would sit there for as long as he needed to.

The moment he figured this, a large gust of wind blew through the yard, followed by the sound of a heavy rain making its way down the street.

Draco remained where he was, cold, wet, and shivering, hoping for the rain to clear up soon. He placed his elbows on his knees then put his head down to keep the rain from falling in his eyes. He couldn't use his wand to keep himself dry; he was sitting on a street full of muggles houses.

The splashing of the drops was so loud that Draco barely heard his name being called from the doorway. He picked his head up to see Hermione coming toward him with a small umbrella.

"Are you allowing me inside or have you come to tell me to leave?" Draco asked, standing but refusing the umbrella's shelter.

"I don't want you to die from hypothermia." Hermione informed him through gritted teeth.

"How thoughtful of you." Draco stated as Hermione lead him to the house. He didn't follow though. "Will you listen to me if I come inside?"

"You're so stubborn."

"And you're not?"

"Fine, I'll listen, but that doesn't mean anything will change." She agreed regretfully but Draco entered the house anyway.

He cast a spell to dry his clothes the moment the door had shut and the muggles couldn't possibly see inside anymore.

"Where'd Weasley go?" Draco didn't really want his conversation to be overheard, especially by Ginny.

"She left with the twins using the floo right before I went outside." She replied and Draco could tell she'd rather be anywhere else. "What do you want?" She snapped.

"I uhh—" Everything that Draco had memorized and planned to say had evaporated from his mind in an instant.

"You what?" Hermione could feel her pulse rising. What did he need to say and why couldn't he spit the words out? She leaned against a wall, looking at the patterns on the floor tiles.

Draco took a deep breath; peering straight into Hermione's averting eyes.

"I'm not trying to change your mind or give you an explanation for what I've done to you, and I'm certainly not asking for your forgiveness." Draco started. "I was terrible to you and I don't think I ever deserve to be forgiven."

Hermione looked as if she was ignoring him but she was taking in every word that he spoke. She glanced momentarily at his face to tell him to keep talking, but avoided his penetrating stare.

"I came here today because I knew I'd hate myself if I never told you this." He hesitated before continuing, "I love you, Hermione. I don't care if you never love me again or if you hate every living piece of me, but I needed you to know. I finally trusted myself and went with what my heart was telling me instead of thinking too much. I just wouldn't be able to live with myself, wondering what would have happened if I had told you this."

Hermione didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. Her heart was pounding in her chest as if she'd just run a marathon and an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"That's all I came here to say." Draco said finally. He stroke past Hermione to the door. "Thanks for listening to me."

Hermione was frozen on the spot as Draco closed the door behind himself. He had confessed his love for her and didn't even care if she loved him back. Hermione would have leapt into Draco arms the moment he said it if she had been able to believe him. He had wounded her heart so much that she wasn't completely convinced he wouldn't do it again.

Hermione debated meeting up with Ginny and asking for her opinion, but she knew that it was her own choice that mattered and for once she would listen to her own reasoning.

She took a quick glimpse out the nearest window as she walked by to see if Draco had gone. He was no where in sight, leaving Hermione alone to figure out how she truly felt.


	13. Chapter 13 The Very End

A slight spring breeze brushed Hermione's hair across her face as she carefully watched Tristan & Emily play with their toy wand. They all had gone for a short stroll around the neighborhood, and although there could be muggles watching, Hermione was sure they'd believe the twins useless wand to be just a twig fallen from a nearby tree.

It had been several long and tiresome days since Draco had admitted his love to Hermione and her mind was once again in a struggle with her emotions.

On one hand, Hermione knew that she loved him too and that she would be as miserable as ever if she let him go again. On the other, she was terribly afraid of Draco further ripping her heart to pieces. If she gave up on him, eventually she would move on with her life and hopefully find someone else. She didn't want to think about what she might to if Draco hurt her one more time. It might just be enough to push her over the edge and there would be no going back.

"Mum?" Emily's tiny voice called from up ahead.

Hermione focused on her daughter, pushing her thoughts away. "Yes?"

"Why don't I see Mr. Malfoy anymore?" Emily's lower lip pushed forward in a frown. Hermione felt awful every time she had to her daughter with such a sad expression. Tristan looked at Hermione waiting for a answer to hear about Mr. Malfoy.

"You both want to go back to day care?" Hermione asked, avoiding the subject of Draco.

"No, I miss Mr. Malfoy. Can I see him?" Emily nearly begged. Hermione couldn't lie to her daughter but she didn't even know the true answer. "Me too" Tristan begged.

"Maybe, I'll think about it." Hermione told them.

She had been thinking about it for the longest time. It was definitely not a simple matter which could be determined within seconds. She lay awake at night, her thoughts rushing through her head, trying to come to a conclusion.

A large factor in the situation was Tristan & Emily, the reason behind their initial separation, and possibly a reason to get back together. Hermione could not continue relying on her friends and parents to watch her twins whenever she needed to go out. The twins needed a real father figure in her life. Of course she had Harry and all of her Weasley uncles, but they were not at all the same as anything Draco could provide.

Ginny supported Hermione no matter what she chose, but she had no intentions of being civilized with Draco. The same went for Ron and Harry, though they were leaning for Hermione ditching Draco for good.

When Hermione had met up with Ginny after Draco visit, Ginny asked Hermione what he had said, yet she refused to accept any input of advice from her or anyone else who she had told. No one was allowed to influence her except maybe her own children.

After almost a week had passed, Hermione was still contemplating things, though she had made up her mind to begin a letter to Draco, expressing what her emotions were telling her compared to her very trusted brain. He'd be able to see her conflict then. She figured that it was worth writing the letter in case he was also trying to move on, although Hermione didn't really want to give him any false hope. She just didn't want another Natalie-like figure appearing and causing more problems.

She searched the entire house, top to bottom, for a bit of parchment to write on. Every inch had been used up and her only choice was to travel to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. She invited Ginny to venture with her and Ginny suggested Hogsmeade.

"I could go for some butterbeer. The boys are really tiring me out." Ginny commented, explaining how she had easily convinced her mother to take them off of her hands.

They arrived in Hogsmeade, right outside the parchment and quill store, which they entered. Hermione made sure to take Emily's hand, as she store was pretty busy. Ginny took Tristan hand while she looked around with him. She picked out several rolls of plain and simple parchment before getting a cheap roll for Tristan & Emily to scribble on. Ginny joined her on the line and began questioning her.

"So, what are you going to write to him?" She curiously asked, taking two rolls for herself.

"I'm not completely sure of what I want yet." Hermione explained, counting her sickles and knots, "I'm just going to inform him of my dilemma and then when I've thought everything through, I'll personally tell him."

"You're so formal about all of this. Why do you have to think about every little detail? Just believe in yourself for once and do what your heart tells you to do, not your head." Ginny proposed in one breath. She had wanted to tell Hermione this for a long time, and greatly hoped that she would listen.

"You try being in this position! It's not as easy as that! I'm tired of being let down and disappointed over and over again!" Hermione retorted, attracting glares from on-looking witches and wizards.

"It's your instinct that matters in the end." Ginny shook her head.

Hermione paid for the parchment escorted the twins and Ginny back to the street. The Three Broomsticks was only a few stores down, and Ginny was more than eager to step inside. They sat at one of the tables, and ordered two butterbeers while Hermione pulled out a few crackers for the twins to munch on.

Hermione nearly had a heart attack when she looked up to see a certain blonde walking toward her in order to reach the door. Draco looked just as uncomfortable but he nodded in acknowledgement all the same. Hermione gave a small nod back but neither said anything and soon Draco was out the door and out of the scene.

Ginny immediately picked up on Hermione's sudden change in attitude. Her smile drooped and her eyes were filled with hopelessness.

"What?" Hermione questioned, becoming worried by Ginny's perceptive staring.

"Nothing, just remember what I told you before," She paused, glancing at the door behind Hermione, "Trust yourself and your heart."

"Come on, mum." Tristan said after his aunt told him to trust herself and her heart. He felt like he knew most of what was going on.

Hermione hesitated for a second, gave Tristan & Emily a quick squeeze for a temporary goodbye, and followed Draco out of the pub. She peered down the street in both directions and spotted Draco veer off the road onto the path leading to his house. Hermione almost forgot he lived so close.

"Draco!" She called, winding her way through the magical people that crowded the Hogsmeade streets.

His head did not twist around however, and he disappeared behind the trees surrounding the path. Hermione turned her speed walking into a hurried jog and made her way down the same dirt track.

"Draco!" She repeated, nearly ten feet away.

This time, he spun around to see who was following him though he easily recognized the voice. Draco barely had time to react before he was nearly knocked over. Hermione's arms went around his neck and Draco instinctively placed his hands gently on her hips. Within a fraction of a second, their mouths were glued together in an intense kiss.

"Hermione?" Draco mumbled, pushing himself away. He unwrapped her arms and took her hands in his. She looked up, waiting for him to continue. "This is it? This is what you want?"

"I'm sure it is," Hermione responded, feeling all of her misery lift and her cheeks become red with emotion.

"I promise that I'll never, ever, hurt you again," Draco started, in a greatly apologetic tone. "I'll never lie to you or keep anything from you and I won't cause you any more pain. I don't want to see you cry again either—"

"Stop promising me all of these things," Hermione cut him off quietly, "That's in the past. The only thing I want you to promise is that you'll always love me."

"Then, I promise I'll always love you," Draco repeated in a slightly childish manner. He dropped one of Hermione's hands and began pulling her toward his home.

"I should go back to the twins and Ginny. They're probably wondering what happened to me." Hermione dug her heels into the ground but it was no use.

"I bet Ginny knows exactly what happened to you." Draco smirked and Hermione scowled. "Don't worry, they're fine. It'll only take a moment." He sped up until they were at his gate. "Wait here, it's a mess inside."

He kissed her hand then ran inside. Draco returned shortly with something behind his back.

"I really should be heading back," Hermione insisted, impatiently.

"Then, I'll make this short and simple, just for you," Draco smiled a very wide grin. He hadn't felt like this is ages and it was a very good feeling. He quickly got down on one knee and Hermione knew what was coming.

"You're joking…" Hermione managed to say as her heart began to race.

"Not at all." Draco laughed and pulled out a familiar box, opening it as he moved. "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?" He said the traditional words.

"I would love to," Answered Hermione, her eyes slowly tearing. Draco pulled out the ring he had given Hermione at the end of their seventh year and carefully slid it onto her finger. "And you promised not to make me cry." She smiled, admiring the ring resuming its place on her hand.

"Tears of joy weren't included in that promise," Draco stood up and gave Hermione a quick but romantic kiss.

"I love you," Hermione breathed against his lips, their foreheads together.

"I think that deep down we never stopped loving each other." Draco said truthfully.

He placed an arm around Hermione while she rested her head on his shoulder and they began their walk back to Hogsmeade. Draco prediction was correct.

Everything worked out and they were finally together to live happily until_ the very end_.

Author Note

Hey guys, this is the end of this story for Draco and Hermione, their first story was I hate you but I love you and now this Believe in your heart is the last book. If I get enough reviews, I will write a short story of what happened after or maybe the next story on Tristan & Emily.


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